Former Walmart Client/Agency Duo Launch 'Beers With Friends'

In a bold move to disrupt the traditional agency model, former Walmart client/agency team Dana Hork and James Wood have teamed up to launch Beers With Friends (BWF), a creative agency designed to deliver agile, accountable, and expert-driven marketing solutions in five-day ideation sprints aptly named “Beer Runs.” Beer Runs are available as a single serving or in packs of four, six, and twelve.

BWF’s innovative sprint model allows brands to tap into a curated team of experts for intensive five-day ideation and problem-solving sessions, providing a flexible alternative to the traditional agency of record (AOR) structure.

"We’ve spoken to over 200 brand marketers in the last year, and what we hear over and over is that they are looking for low-risk ways to try new things, and their AORs, if they even have them, aren’t always the best option," said Dana Hork, co-founder and CEO of BWF. "Beers With Friends is the agency I wish I had when I was brand-side: nimble, results-focused, and powered by top-tier talent tailored to each project's needs."

“We don’t want to be your agency of record; we want to be your agency on speed dial,” notes James, co-founder and chief creative officer of BWF.

BWF's Beer Runs are designed to tackle and solve brand challenges in just five days, with Dana and James hand-picking the perfect team for each client. To date, Beer Runs have been staffed with standouts like a creative director/MasterChef contestant, a brand strategist/magician to the stars, an executive packaging development engineer, and a culture expert/ex-sneaker brand narrative manager.

The approach ensures fresh perspectives and rapid ideation. Said James, “Ambitious marketers just have to crack open a Beer Run, and they can tap into our expertise as well as top strategic and creative talent to get better ideas, more of them, and much, much faster.”

BWF launches with a growing roster of clients, including Virgin Galactic, Perfect Bar, Hally Hair, DIG, GORGIE, Don’t Ban Equality, and Thoughtful, an AI-powered self-improvement platform backed by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez.

“Dana and James are the most engaged and responsive partners, full of energy and ideas, and most importantly, clearly focused on getting things done,” said Chelsea Chang, VP of commercial strategy and corporate development at Virgin Galactic. “We got an incredible amount of high-quality deliverables, as well as many tremendously thoughtful discussions, in just three Beer Runs. Such a contrast from our experience with other agencies.”